San Michele - Venice's cemetery island | DW Documentary

Venice is a city unlike any other, so it's no surprise its cemetery is also unique. Located halfway between the city of Venice and the glassblowing island of Murano, Venetians find their final resting place on the cemetery island of San Michele.

Since the early 19th century, not only native Venetians have been buried here, but also famous visitors such as Ezra Pound, Luigi Nono, Sergei Diaghilev, Igor Stravinsky, Joseph Brodsky, and Emilio Vedova. They have their graves there, in the city they loved.

But the island is not just a place of death and silence. Every day, people come here to care for the cemetery. Visitors also arrive regularly, including members of the association "La laguna nel bicchiere” or "The Lagoon in a Glass.” The association's goal is to revive forgotten vineyards in Venice and on its islands. One of these is located in the novitiate garden of the former Camaldolese monastery on San Michele.